I bought my first fish tank about three weeks ago and made the fatal mistake of buying neon red rocks for the bottom. I didnt mind them for the first week, but now I cant stand them. t makes the fish tank look too fake. So im wondering if i can just scoop the red rocks out and put more natural ones in. The tank has been cycling for about three weeks with a platy and 2 swordtails in it. If i replace the rocks am I going to disrupt the nitrogen cycle or incur any other bad side effects. All help is greatly appreciated.
Worst Choice Ever-Neon Red Rocks-Can I Fix it
- Thread starter MJC8719
- Start date
As long as you're going to keep the same ornaments and plants in the tank, and you leave the filter alone (try not to let the ornaments/plants/filter media dry out), then you should be ok to change the rocks. Hopefully someone who's done it will show up and give some tips on how to do this with the least stress on the fish and the best way so as not to mess with the cycling too much.
ewww.... What were you thinking?? Neon red? 
I'm pretty sure it shouldn't disrupt your cycle too much. I say replace them, but keep the neon red ones in the tank (in pantyhose or something) until you seed the new rocks. Or... May i suggest sand?
I'm pretty sure it shouldn't disrupt your cycle too much. I say replace them, but keep the neon red ones in the tank (in pantyhose or something) until you seed the new rocks. Or... May i suggest sand?
Since its been 3 weeks, the cycle should be about complete. There is nothing wrong with changing to a different colored gravel now. Dont feed the fish the day before, to minimize on waste. If you can put them in a seprate tank, exelent, if not dont worry about it. Most of the bacteria is in the filter, so you shouldnt loose too much healthy bacteria, but your tank will probably go through a mini cycle, so it would be best to change the water before and after the gravel change, and to monitor the levels of nitrite and all that. I switched from gravel to sand about 3 weeks after establishing a 30 gallon tank, and I didnt notice any side effects. Both the fish and I love it.
Ahh.. substrate changes.
You could do a little bit at a time, swapping a few handfulls a day. You shouldn't upset the cycle any, but I would wait until the end of it anyway. Hands in the tank tend to be pretty stressful for fish, and so is the cycle, so if you can stand it a few more weeks I would wait.
When you do decide to start, there are two ways I can think of to do it: Both start with a little planning. If you want gravel, thats cool. If you want a sandy type substrate, thats cool too. (Sandy types are better for live plants, in my opinion. They require a little different kinda care, but not harder.) If you think you might like to have live plants, do a little research. (not hard at all, but saves you from doing this all again). Substrate additives, how much to put in, ect.
#1: (Bucket method) get a big huge bucket that will hold most or all of the water in the tank. K mart has a big tub that holds 20 gal for 5 or 6 bucks. (just make sure it's clean! nothing that looks like it was spilled in it, and wash it out with water and a little vinegar and rinse really well (no soap!). Siphon about half of the tank water out of the tank and into the tub/bucket, then start taking stuff out of the tank and putting it out of the bucket. Fish, fake plants, ect. Keep your filter media wet, but it doesn't have to be in the big bucket. When I changed my substrate, the filter media went into my water change bucket, fish went into the big one. (don't change the media for a few weeks prior to changing substrate.) That way, the good bacteria in it don't die. Take all the offending gravel out of the tank, but leave the gunk that gets trapped in it behind. (it's called "mulm", but I have no idea why it is called that) it is bacteria rich, and will help to avoid another mini-cycle later on. Rinse your new gravel well, put it into the tank, and then add the water from the big bucket to the tank. Add your fish, and test daily for ammonia, nitrites, ect. Sometimes a you might get a small spike in those. (cure with water changes)
The other alternative is simpler: just remove a bit of the old gravel at a time, then add the same amount of new gravel.. only bad part is you don't get a chance to totally re-arrange things, and you will never get that last bit of old gravel out. Simpler, but slower.
You could do a little bit at a time, swapping a few handfulls a day. You shouldn't upset the cycle any, but I would wait until the end of it anyway. Hands in the tank tend to be pretty stressful for fish, and so is the cycle, so if you can stand it a few more weeks I would wait.
When you do decide to start, there are two ways I can think of to do it: Both start with a little planning. If you want gravel, thats cool. If you want a sandy type substrate, thats cool too. (Sandy types are better for live plants, in my opinion. They require a little different kinda care, but not harder.) If you think you might like to have live plants, do a little research. (not hard at all, but saves you from doing this all again). Substrate additives, how much to put in, ect.
#1: (Bucket method) get a big huge bucket that will hold most or all of the water in the tank. K mart has a big tub that holds 20 gal for 5 or 6 bucks. (just make sure it's clean! nothing that looks like it was spilled in it, and wash it out with water and a little vinegar and rinse really well (no soap!). Siphon about half of the tank water out of the tank and into the tub/bucket, then start taking stuff out of the tank and putting it out of the bucket. Fish, fake plants, ect. Keep your filter media wet, but it doesn't have to be in the big bucket. When I changed my substrate, the filter media went into my water change bucket, fish went into the big one. (don't change the media for a few weeks prior to changing substrate.) That way, the good bacteria in it don't die. Take all the offending gravel out of the tank, but leave the gunk that gets trapped in it behind. (it's called "mulm", but I have no idea why it is called that) it is bacteria rich, and will help to avoid another mini-cycle later on. Rinse your new gravel well, put it into the tank, and then add the water from the big bucket to the tank. Add your fish, and test daily for ammonia, nitrites, ect. Sometimes a you might get a small spike in those. (cure with water changes)
The other alternative is simpler: just remove a bit of the old gravel at a time, then add the same amount of new gravel.. only bad part is you don't get a chance to totally re-arrange things, and you will never get that last bit of old gravel out. Simpler, but slower.
Be sure to thoroughly wash whatever substrate you switch to. The way I do it is using a large bowl in the sink, I fill it about half full of the substrate, then add water to it and swish it around, then pour off the dirty water from the bowl. I repeat this until the water is clear, then start on the next bowl full. It can be a lot of work, but it is well worth it when you don't end up with a tank full of a cloudy mess that takes days to clear up
when i did it it was a sloppy mess and i hate nitrites for like a week after but it is no big deal go ahead and scoup away!
best to get a hose so the gravel can be sucked up then slowly lower the new cleaned gravel in with a container and tip out once at the bottom keeps the tank clean and clear easy
Yeah, the only real problem with changing gravel is upsetting the fish and stirring up all the waste on the bottom.
I absolutely hate bright colored gravels, something the new hobbyist has a natural affinity toward. . .
I absolutely hate bright colored gravels, something the new hobbyist has a natural affinity toward. . .